Job Discussion Forums

[JonnyB61]

I throw this one open to international debate.

[furiousmilksheikali]

Your definately write.

Is it one of the few "i"s that are pronounced with the schwa? Could this be the thing tricking all these otherwise excellent English teachers?

Hmmm... I just looked to my left and saw the word "Emoticon". Bang goes that theory!

[spiral78]

It's one of those little fossilized iggies that diminishes one's credibility. Best to try to correct, if you're purporting to teach the language. Especially since it's such a commonly-used word.

I had to seriously work on it's (it is) and its (possessive) - another silly little iggie, but embarassing when you're teaching advanced adults (or writing your MA dissertation!)

It's silly, but I have to say it is rather satisfying to know that I've moved beyond this stupid error in my writing....
Yeah, I know, I should get a life

[Justin Trullinger]

Erm- I'd like a third option. It's not a crime, it's just an annoying little misspelling, that makes me grit my teeth and lose a little more sanity every time I see it. If I'm driven over the edge by bad spelling, and commit a truly horrific crime, who's to blame? (Whose to blame?)


Best,
Justin

[rusmeister]

We've already had a thread on this this last year.

Basically, some teachers complain about significant and continuous misspellings by other teachers, and the others explain it as typos, being tired, etc.

We shouldn't let occasional typos bother us - we all make them. We work, we do get tired (maybe crashing instead of continuing to type in front of the computer would help). On the other hand, spelling is a BASIC skill, one that a fifth grader should have mastered, let alone an adult purporting to be an English teacher. I sympathize with your concern.

If a teacher doesn't know something, they should be willing to learn - that is essential to teaching.

[zorro (3)]

For those struggling, remember that it has 'finite' in it and all will be plain sailing.

de'finite'ly.

Now you defiantly spell definitely.

[cangringo]

[spiral78]

But scientists aren't trying to teach language (and, by definition, spelling).

It's not an error that arises from being tired. It's a fossilized thing that can just as easily show up on a whiteboard in front of advanced students as on this forum. The advanced students may have some justification for thinking that you're less than professional.

Come on - we're language teachers - we should, at least, TRY to use good English (and, by definition, correct spelling). It's our profession!!

[Justin Trullinger]

Agreed. Modelling correct language use is a must in our profession.

But, while I don't have any information on tiredness as a factor, speed certainly is a factor. Here on the forum, I type as quickly as I can sometimes, and don't necessarily proofread before submitting.

I think that, in typing, which a lot of us do a lot, muscular habits in your fingers can lead you to write the words that your fingers are most accustomed to (rather than the ones you intend), and if you don't proofread, that's that.

More than once, I've had to edit posts to change "necessity" for "necessary" or even "necesidad." It doesn't mean I would (necessarily) write it on the board and not notice- just that I'm not applying the same scrutiny to my posting (which is recreational) that I am to my work.

Drinking, which I'll bet some of our friends here are guilty of when posting, can also effect motor skills such as typing, laedung to seentnces liek tihs. It doesn't mean that those of us who sometimes drink can't spell. (Or that we would drink before class!)

Other languages also interfere. Most of my correspondence and writing is currently in Spanish. (Which is one reason I use this board so much, to practice my written English.) And since I've been writing so much in Spanish, I find a tendency to drop certain double letters in English- "CC," "PP," and "SS" don't really exist in Spanish, and have begun to look really odd to me. It doesn't mean I don't know, but without a proofread, sometimes it gets through.

There are lots of reasons that spelling errors get onto this board- let's not assume that all the same errors are getting into the classroom, though- it's a different situation, and different variables apply.


All the best,
Justin

[John Hall]

[wildchild]

What's all this talk about the spelling of "definitely"? correct, good English?

It's such a minor thing compared to the differences between your speech and that of your great grandparents. They'd probably wonder why you're fcuking up the language!

[SueH]

it's late hear and I'm definately tired and I suspect that even my English pronounciation is going... but... I've made those errors online in the past, and afterwards been really embarased. I do no how to spell, honest. It pisses me off even more when people score points though.

Incidentally, has anyone written something on the board, then stepped back a step or two and realised their spelling mistake. They're all mistakes I never do writing on paper.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

In class or schoolwork I think it's important, but on a discussion board, so long as I can understand the meaning, that's all I really care about (and I would be really impressed if any of my students even knew the word 'definitely', let alone managed to spell it so it looks recognizable as that word in any way, shape or form to any native speaker of English).

[gaijinalways]

If I misspell a word, I have the students correct it (if they notice). If they don't, I say, " Oh, there is a misspelled word in that sentence, where is it?"

Use your mistakes to learn from and to teach to!

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

^ misdemeanor, 3rd degree. Repeat offenders go to jail.



Joking aside, spelling errors only annoy me when they're perpetrated by English teachers.

In relative terms, English has to be one of the most difficult languages in the world

when it comes to obnoxious spelling rules ... and exceptions to rules.